Smiling Down At Them
by XxX.Alone-4eva-Solita.XxX
Summary: Cloud goes back to the church, ending up in a surprise conversation, a worried Tifa, a kiss... and a touch and smile from his angel. Oneshot


**A/N: Sorry if they're OOC... I'm not really good at writing Cloud or Aeris... Also reviews more than welcome, but nothing nasty.  
**

Cloud Strife leaned against a broken pillar, gazing at the frost coated flowers at the front of the church he stood in. _Her church..._ It surprised him that even though it was near the dead of winter, freezing cold, and snow covered the ground around them in a thick white sheet, the yellow and white flowers flourished, their petals merely dusted with snow and frost. '_She always did tell me these were special plants,' _Cloud thought with a half smile, shifting his weight against the cracked, half-pillar behind him, '_But this is a little beyond what I thought!'_ Leaving his post at the stone column, Cloud pulled his coat tighter around his shoulders, before approaching the blossoming plants at the front of the rundown church. His gloved hand brushed over the petals, and a light dusting of snow fell from them. '_Like magical pixie dust... Oh Gaia, I think I've been hanging around Marlene too much... I'm starting to think like her...' _Cloud chuckled softly to himself as he stood up again from the crouch he had been balanced in. Admiring the flowers, Cloud reminisced on his time with the Cetra, Aeris. She'd been his best friend and now, four years after he had watched her stabbed by Sephiroth, he had finally let go of the guilt he carried. It had been, in Cloud's mind, his fault the Aeris had been stabbed by Sephiroth. He hadn't done anything to stop the silver-haired man, just stood in horror as the Masamune slid through the Cetra's flesh much too easily, piercing her stomach and back all the way through, killing her in seconds. Shoving that thought from his mind, Cloud thought of all the more happy times they had spent together. A few long moments passed with Cloud gazing at the flowers, a smile on his face as the memories flooded back to him, before a fairly warm breeze washed over Cloud.

_ "Cloud? Oh Cloud... you still come to see me..."_

Cloud's eyes widened, his head jerked up, and he jumped. "A-Aeris?!"

_ "Don't be so surprised, I do still live on in spirit, silly!"_

"Aeris! Oh Leviathan, Aeris!"

Aeris light laughter filled his ears. _"Yes, Cloud, its me. I've been here the whole time. You were just too cute to disturb before, running your hand over the flowers, smiling to yourself the whole time. It was sweet!" _ She laughed again, and Cloud smiled with her.

"Oh, I'm cute when I'm thinking, am I?"

_ "Yes, very." _Another giggle rang in the church.

"How are you and Zack doing in the Lifestream?"

_ "Quite well. Its taken a while to get back into the swing of his humour, but I missed him more than I thought I did."_

"That's good to hear. I was hoping you were resting well. I don't think there's a day pass when I don't think about you, Aeris."

_ "Aw, same here, Cloud. I've been watching you. You seem to be doing better now that you've let me go. Not so depressed, are you?"_

"Tifa says she likes me more like this..."

_ "Oh, right, your together now aren't you? Its about time!"_

Cloud blushed. "W-what's that supposed to mean?"

_ "Oh come on, Cloud! You know you've loved her all along! You were just scared she didn't feel the same way, because she didn't make any moves on you. But, know what? She was thinking the same thing as you. So, lover boy, who made the first move?"_

Cloud's blush darkened at her comment. "M-me."

_ "Your stuttering!" _ The Cetra's laughter rang in Cloud's ears. _"What did you do?"_

"I asked her out to dinner..."

_ "Where?"_

Cloud laughed lightly. "Your so nosy!"

_ "I know, now tell me!"_

"I took her to the same place we went that one time."

_ "Ooooh... did she like it?"_

"Y-yeah..."

Aeris laughed again, and another warm breeze washed over Cloud. _"Hey, I think she's looking for you."_

"What?"

_ "She's near here. You've been here a while you know, do you think she thought that you left again?"_

Cloud glanced worriedly at his watch. "Shoot! I was supposed to be back at the inn three hours ago!"

_ "Oh, you better go! Bye Cloud, I love you! Good luck with, Tifa!"_

"Bye, Aeris... love you too..." Cloud whispered, before wheeling around quickly as the back doors of the church swung open.

"Oh, thank Gaia, Cloud! I was starting to worry about you...your three hours late..." Tifa ran up the aisle to her blonde boyfriend, stopping just in front of him, not meeting his eyes.

"I'm sorry Tifa, I just..."

"You weren't gonna run away again, were you?" Tifa looked up at him, tears beginning to form in her dark chocolate eyes.

"Tifa..." Cloud whispered her name as he pulled her into his strong arms. "Don't worry Tifa, I'm never, ever, going to leave you again... I promise..." he whispered into her ear, kissing the top of her head, and nuzzling his forehead against her hair.

"Good... because I don't know what I'd do without you..."

"Or I you Tifa."

Tifa pulled away from him a little, her eyes meeting his glowing Mako blue ones. "I love you, Cloud." she whispered, nuzzling her head back into his chest, sighing contentedly.

"I love you, too Tifa..."

And with that, the couple left the church, with Cloud whispering a quiet goodbye to Aeris again. Holding Tifa's hand, they began the trek home, Tifa's head on Cloud's shoulder as they walked. Soon, it started to snow, the thin flakes tangling in each other's hair. Tifa stopped, pulling Cloud to a halt too, before facing him. "Cloud..." she whispered his name, gazing up at his face, her arms linking around his neck.

"Teef..."

The couple's lips met, the snow falling around them as they kissed each other, Cloud's hands around Tifa's waist, and her arms around his neck. As they pulled away, reluctantly, but both were in need of air, Cloud heard Aeris' whisper in his ear, _"Remember, I love you too..." 'And I you Aeris, I always will...' _he replied mentally, smiling as Tifa laid her hand on the small of his back, snuggling against his body as the continued home. And on his other side, where Tifa was not, Cloud felt the soft, familiar touch of a certain Cetra's hand on his arm, though it was just warmth from her ghostly presence. '_Aeris...' _And he felt it in his heart, she smiled down from the heavens at Tifa and himself.


End file.
